Alix Urien Captures Impressionist Paris Through Her Lens

Does the Paris of the great Impressionist painters still survive today French photographer and videographer Alix Urien believes the answer lies in how we observe our surroundings rather than what is physically placed before our eyes. In her ongoing series titled Circa 2020s, captured across Paris and Normandy, she transforms everyday modern scenes into photographs and videos shaped directly by the light, color, and fleeting sensations reminiscent of nineteenth-century Impressionism. Instead of merely copying famous historical paintings through her camera lens, Urien delves into the emotions that bind different generations together, suggesting that while cities and societies transform constantly, core human experiences remain remarkably intact.

Color theory occupies a central role in her visual compositions. Urien applies fragmented touches of illumination and shade to heighten the emotional resonance of each frame. Yet her engagement with Impressionism extends far beyond mere aesthetics. Much like how the invention of photography forced nineteenth-century painters to reevaluate their artistic medium, she draws a parallel to the modern inquiries sparked by artificial intelligence today. In response, she notices a resurgence of experimental image-making techniques where creative intuition outweighs technical perfection.

Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event

For Urien, the camera functions less as an instrument for recording strict reality and much more as a medium for interpreting internal feelings. Paris itself has evolved into the core subject of this ongoing visual journey. Following her return from London in 2019, Urien began exploring the French capital through the specialized eyes of a photographer, discovering a metropolis that—despite its dense historical weight—could still feel remarkably intimate, like a small village.

Hidden museums, overlooked alleyways, and local art shops revealed themselves alongside the shifting character of various neighborhoods. Over a span of seven years, she repeatedly visited familiar locations across different seasons, observing how identical settings can project completely contrasting moods from one moment to the next. Photography and video have thus become her primary methods for mapping out these subtle, continuous transformations.

Source: designboom